Christian Life (Essay 3)

Faith in the
Postcolonial
Awakening

No sooner
are people getting used to postmodernism
than up arises another slogan: postcolonialism.
Like postmodernism, it is a complex subject and open to a range of
interpretations. And it has been around for awhile, even predating
aspects
ofpostmodernism.

Post-colonialism
loosely
designates a set of theoretical approaches which focus on the direct
effects
and aftermaths of colonization (or colonialism), noting particularly how
the
colonizing influence is subverted in forms of human exploitation,
normalization, repression and dependency (cf. Said 1993; Bhabha
1994; Segovia &
Sugirtharajah 2009). For instance, several postcolonial elements prevail
in the
way we teach history:

-the normalization and validation of violence,

-the priority of the ruling male,

-making the loser invisible in historical text
and narrative,

-prioritizing the metaphor of the hero,

-subverting what we don’t want the people to
perceive.

Internalised
Oppression

Internalised oppression is one of
the more pervasive consequences of the colonial mind-set. It can be
understood
in both systemic and personal terms. The political regime of Robert
Mugabe in
Zimbabwe, as evidenced in the opening years of the 21st
century,
highlights the systemicmimicry often
noted in postcolonial studies. Having thrown off the imposing control of
the
external colonizer (namely, the British), Robert Mugabe, and his
cronies, have
internalized the very domination they fought so hard to get rid of, and
now
impose it on the Zimbabwean people through forms of oppression and
deprivation,
some of which are worse than ever imposed by the British colonizers.

The personal
nature of internalized oppression is best exemplified in the sense of
victimization incurred by abuse – physical, emotional or sexual. The
consequent
sense ofinferiority and unworthiness,
with overt or covert feelings of
guilt and shame, may prevail for years. These feelings may be buried deep in the
subconscious, until brought into conscious awareness deliberately (as in
therapy) or accidently (as in a traumatic experience). While the person
feels
victimized, the oppression is at work. When the person internalizes a
sense of
being a survivor rather than a victim,
then freedom is more likely to ensue.

Colonization of Power

Power and powerlessness tend to be the two dominant
dynamics
being played out – at both the personal and systemic levels. All the
formal
religions seem to embody this destructive quality of power. In other
words,
religion carries a covert agenda of control over people’s lives. And in
order
to exert that control, people are made to feel unworthy, dependent,
needing to
suffer, and virtuous to the extent that they prove to be obedient.

It is also in the religions that we see
colonization and
internalized oppression working hand in hand. Segovia and Sugirtharajah
(2009),
in their analysis of the New Testament, surface several examples. They
suggest
that the iconic language of the Kingdom
of God is a deliberate ploy to counter the rhetoric and power of the
Kingdom of Rome (Roman Imperialism). But
in the process of confronting and denouncing imperial power, the early Christian
preachers,
teachers and writers, re-enact some of the very power-dynamics they so
vociferously
denounce.

Jesus and
Postcolonialism

Kathleen Corley (2002) suggests that even Jesus
himself at
times fell foul of this “postcolonial mimicry.” A vivid example is that
of the Syrophoenician
woman (Mk.7:24-30) whom he initially tried to dismiss because she did
not
belong to the sacred enclave of Israel, thus exposing her to the risk of
further victimization. While Jesus seems to accept and include women,
contrary
to the cultural norms where they were often excluded, he seems
nonetheless to
adopt misogynist values and attitudes as in his re-iterating the
derogatory
appellation of “harlots” entering the Kingdom of God (Matt.21:31-32).
Instead
of calling them women (or persons), he seems to reinforce the derogatory
label
already in use.

We can never be sure, of course, whether it is
Jesus himself
or his various biographers, who are replaying the postcolonial rhetoric.
Certainly, the author of John’s Gospel is unashamedly colonial in his
portrayal
of a powerful Jesus, even to the extent of Jesus declaring himself to be
King
(Jn.18:37)! The intention may be to highlight the counter-culture to
Roman
kingship, but placing the words on the lips of Jesus seems like a blatant
contradiction
to the understanding of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels, a Jesus who
forthrightly
denounces kingship and all its aspirations to power and domination.

The baggage of history

In terms of Christian history, the most serious
collusion
happened at the beginning of the fourth century when Gelarius accepted
Christianity
as the formal religion of the Roman Empire and his successor,
Constantine,
fully endorsed the implementation. From there on royal power, pomp and
glory
became an integral part of Christian faith. In truth, it has only been
in the
latter half of the 20th century that scholars have confronted
more
directly the mis-use (abuse) of the notion of the ‘kingdom of God’ in
the New
Testament, reclaiming its subversive intent and its challenge to all
forms of
imperial power (see Crossan, Horsely).

In 1925, Pope Pius XI
instituted the Feast of Christ the
King, in response to growing nationalism and secularism in mainland
Europe. The
people of Europe, seeking more democratic forms of government, began to
reject
kingship and its imposing royal domination. Many of the royal families,
being
Catholic, looked to Rome to halt the slide into modernism, and challenge
the
people to retain kingship as the more authentic (divine) form of
government. The
Church fully endorsed the retention of the royal families and their mode
of
governance – oblivious it would seem to the denunciation of kingship at
the
heart of the Christian Gospel.

Postcolonial trappings

Christian faith is still saturated in the baggage
and
culture of colonial oppression. Several inherited hymns and prayers
acclaim
Jesus as Lord and King. Church clerics dress in garb that one time
belonged to
kings or princesses, or to the nobility in ancient Roman society (e.g.,
the
vestments worn by priests for Eucharist). Gestures of homage are
sometimes
expected from and delivered to Church dignitaries. Investiture
ceremonies often
follow royal protocol of former times. The oils used for rites of
anointing are
the same as those used to anoint Kings of yore.

Faith as a disposition of humility, passivity,
submission,
compliance is extensive in the modern world, although progressively in
decline.
However, several religious leaders (those in authority) still expect
this
quality of response. And sacred learning is still the reserve of those
at the
top, although that too is changing especially in Christian countries of
the
West. A cult of blind obedience is much more widespread than many care
to
admit, with the phenomenon of the suicide bomber being one of the more
conspicuous examples in our time.

From power to empowerment

How do people outgrow the culture of the
postcolonial? In
short, by becoming more adult in one’s faith, and collaboratively
empowering
each other in more grace-filled living. This involves bringing to the
understanding and practice of one’s faith a more critical mind, a more
perceptive spirit, a more dignified sense of self-awareness. Above all,
our
world needs religious adherents who embrace their faith as a conscious
adult
choice, continually in dialogue with peers on how to interpret and
integrate
inherited sacred wisdom.

Truth is not merely the reserve of the few but the
outcome
of the community, the primary locus
of Christian discernment. In the empowerment of the Spirit we are called
into
being as persons and as community. By mobilizing the diverse gifts of
the
community, inspired by the unifying Spirit, we stand a better chance of
breaking through the false powers that ensnare us and instead move
forward
towards empowering liberation. This is the true freedom that God desires
for
every living creature, without which the New Reign of God on earth
cannot be
fully realized.